4 Terramezic Energy by John O'Riley Page A

plate of Hershey’s kisses on a small plate. She took one of them and placed it gently but firmly on one of the balls of dough which flattened it. The end result was a peanut butter cookie with a chocolate kiss at the center. Perry White, their resident light being, perched on top of the curtain rod in the form of a white dove as he watched Josephine work. Mark had created him by accident with white magic several months ago. Josephine had grown quite fond of Perry who reminded her of a cross between a toddler and a loving family pet. On the one hand, he had advanced knowledge of the properties of light energy since he was a magical being composed of that substance. He didn’t require physical nourishment but instead soaked up light energy to keep himself fortified. He didn’t shed hair or dander but when he was in the form of a dove, he occasionally left a white feather. When Josephine thought about it, he made the perfect pet because there was no cleanup or feeding required. Of course, he was more like a youngster in a grown man’s body but he seemed to prefer hanging around in the guise of a white dove.
    Yvonne threw Josephine a concerned look. “Are you absolutely sure that APU 81 can’t take control of me somehow?”
    “Believe me, you’re safe. Mark cast a niveus imperium spell on you with white magic so there’s no way that can happen,” Josephine assured her.
    “Unless APU 81 gets its hands on me later,” Yvonne pointed out.
    “That’s true but for now, you’re safe.”
    Josephine finished topping off the peanut butter balls of dough with chocolate kisses then shoved the trays in the oven. She had seven Tupperware containers on her granite counter that she would fill up with cookies and give to friends and colleagues at work. She loved to see the expressions of delight when she gave people fresh baked cookies. She was hoping Alice would come over while the aroma of peanut butter and chocolate still wafted in the air.
    “We don’t know for sure that APU 81 had anything to do with your new powers or deactivating the enchantment in your pendant,” Mark said.
    “That’s a comfort,” Yvonne said wryly. “I may have other enemies out there I have no idea about.”
    “We can drive ourselves crazy speculating. I’ve learned through my work as an enforcer that it’s best not to jump to conclusions.” Josephine leveled a confident look at the young woman. “I’m certain that you’re safe here and that we’ll resolve the situation.”
    Yvonne took another bite of a cookie on her plate and beamed with pleasure. “How long have you been baking?”
    “I’ve been doing this for many years.” Josephine’s expression turned wistful as she sat down at the table with Yvonne and Mark. “I love baking on the holidays – especially for Christmas. I used to make my grandson candy cane shortbread cookies when he was growing up. They were his favorite.”
    “What’s his name?” Yvonne regarded her with curiosity.
    “His name is Jake. You’ve actually met him. I introduced him to you as Detective Dietrich,” Josephine explained.
    Yvonne blinked with surprise. “That’s your grandson?! He looks the same age as YOU!” A split second later, comprehension dawned on her face. “Oh! Of course! You’re a category six so your age doesn’t show.” Her face flamed with embarrassment. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude. I wasn’t thinking. It’s just that you look my age so it’s hard to picture you as a grandmother.”
    “You flatterer you.” Josephine’s brown eyes danced with amusement.
    “Wait a minute.” Yvonne fixed a musing frown at Mark. “Didn’t you say earlier that Jake is a friend of yours?”
    “He’s one of my best friends,” Mark confirmed.
    “And did that happen before or after you started dating Josephine?”
    “That’s actually how I met her.”
    Yvonne’s expression was stunned as she whirled back to Josephine. “Your grandson set you up on a blind date with one